Xia Yan was terrified of Lu Zhengting insisting on holding her hand and announcing their relationship to everyone. She blinked rapidly several times, her watery eyes fixed intently on him. Seeing this, Lu Zhengting raised an eyebrow and gave a faint "mm" in response. Internally, he was amused by Xia Yan's current frustrated expression, but on the surface, he maintained his cool demeanor.
"Lu Zhengting, stop right there. Don't you dare go." Xia Yan said angrily, issuing a direct command. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt a twinge of regret—she had forgotten she was dealing with Lu Zhengting.
Lu Zhengting paused, one hand stroking his chin as his deep gaze looked down at Xia Yan. His brow lifted slightly, and a faint, ambiguous smile played at the corner of his mouth. Seeing this, Xia Yan let out a soft sigh, stepped closer to him, rose on her tiptoes, placed her slender fingers on his shoulder, lifted her head, and kissed his cheek.
"Is this good enough now?"
Knowing when to stop wasn't Lu Zhengting's principle. They were alone in the restroom now. He scanned the area—directly in front of them were the sink and mirror. Suddenly, he placed one hand on Xia Yan's waist, lifted her over to the sink, lowered his head, and captured her lips. What started as a gentle taste gradually turned into a full-scale conquest. If this weren't a restroom, things might have escalated further.
Xia Yan's heart was pounding with anxiety and nervousness. If someone caught them, her reputation would be ruined.
When Lu Zhengting finally released her, there was a clear change in his eyes. Xia Yan, having endured the long kiss in fear, wrapped her arms around his neck, her brain severely oxygen-deprived. In contrast, Lu Zhengting looked perfectly composed, while she was left gasping for air.
Her stamina was pathetic—she was instantly frustrated.
Xia Yan patted Lu Zhengting's shoulder. "Let me down first."
As soon as she spoke, she froze. Her voice sounded so soft and delicate—was that really her? She could hardly believe her own voice had become so syrupy. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, blinked in disbelief at Lu Zhengting.
Lu Zhengting's clear eyes reflected Xia Yan's current expression. He pressed his lips together, moved her hand away from her mouth, gave her a gentle, feather-light kiss, then set her down on the floor. Xia Yan quickly turned to look at herself in the mirror, only to find her lips red and swollen, her eyes seductive, and her voice still carrying a hint of softness. How was she supposed to face anyone looking like this? It was all that culprit behind her fault!
Fuming, Xia Yan twisted the faucet open, cupped her hands under the cold water, and splashed it onto her face. Meanwhile, every cell in Lu Zhengting's body was screaming, every nerve taut, but Xia Yan remained completely oblivious. He watched her helplessly and adoringly through the mirror, her face dripping with water, restraining the deep longing he felt for her. He took a step to the side. Xia Yan, squinting, continued splashing cold water on her face to cool down the heat, when she suddenly noticed Lu Zhengting's movement. She paused briefly, not even glancing at him, and spat out a fierce threat: "Lu Zhengting, if you mess around again, I'll make you pay."
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting immediately raised his hand, fist covering his mouth, and let out a few soft laughs. "Oh? You'll make me pay?"
Xia Yan was, of course, just joking. They had already spent too much time in the restroom. She grabbed a tissue to wipe the water droplets from her face, then, without a second thought, dragged Lu Zhengting out.
Opening the restroom door, Xia Yan poked her head out to look around. Seeing no one passing by, she mustered all her strength, shoved Lu Zhengting out forcefully, then quickly closed the door. After waiting a few minutes, she emerged from the restroom with a composed expression.
Back in her seat, Xia Yan clearly felt Ye Yunchen's gaze land directly on her lips. She lifted her head slightly, picked up her water glass in a dignified manner, and took a sip, hoping the glass would block his view. She blinked and cleared her throat a couple of times. "Brother Ye, sorry to keep you waiting."
"It's fine. Shall we go?"
Hearing Ye Yunchen say this, Xia Yan was more than happy to agree. She put down her glass, picked up her bag, and was about to leave her seat when Ye Yunchen suddenly spoke up. "Should we go say hello to President Lu and the others?"
"Is that necessary?" Xia Yan glanced at Lu Zhengting and Ke Yaru not far away, then added, "Brother Ye, I think going over there would disturb them, so let's just leave directly."
Ye Yunchen had only said this to test Xia Yan's reaction. He had already guessed it but couldn't resist confirming it one more time. Catching the guilty look on Xia Yan's face, he lowered his eyes. "Forget it, then."
Back at the company, as Xia Yan passed by Secretary Zhou's office, she accidentally overheard her on the phone. She couldn't help but frown. She vaguely heard that Lu Zhengting would be meeting a client with Ke Yaru that afternoon, meaning he wouldn't be in the office.
Now sitting quietly in her office, staring at the white clouds drifting across the clear sky, she felt distracted. When it came to Ke Yaru, there was always a doubt lingering in her mind.
******
At the Yang family villa, Yang Jinkuan sat on the sofa with a cold expression, his hand constantly touching the pinky finger he had severed himself. His sinister gaze fixed on the man sitting across from him on the sofa, he gave a hollow smile. "What brings you here?"
Xia Minghui lifted his eyes slightly to glance at Yang Jinkuan. If he hadn't run out of better ideas to get Xia Yan to hand over the heirlooms, why would he be here? He paused, raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, and when he noticed the guards on either side of Yang Jinkuan looking his way, he quickly dropped his hand, his heart racing with nervousness. He rubbed his hands together furtively, hesitating to speak.
Seeing this, Yang Jinkuan squinted at Xia Minghui and said in a deep voice, "Since you're here, spit it out. Don't beat around the damn bush."
Xia Minghui was startled. He shifted in his seat. "President Yang, do you remember that incident from over a decade ago?"
"Over a decade ago?" Yang Jinkuan repeated the words, his expression shifting slightly. He casually placed his hand on his stomach, rubbing it a few times, waiting for Xia Minghui to continue.
"President Yang, Lu Zhengting is investigating that incident from over a decade ago. When Xu Guang died, he secretly left behind some belongings. Now, those belongings are in Xia Yan's hands. But with Lu Zhengting protecting her, I can't get any information from her."
"What does this have to do with me?" Yang Jinkuan shot Xia Minghui a cold glare, though his heart began to race, especially surprised that Lu Zhengting was looking into this.
Xia Minghui hadn't expected Yang Jinkuan to react this way. He lowered his head in thought for a few seconds before speaking again. "President Yang, Lu Zhengting is already suspicious of me. Do you think, with his abilities, he won't trace it back to you? Once Lu Zhengting gets his hands on what Xia Yan has, do you think he'll let us off?"
Xia Minghui's words left Yang Jinkuan silent for a long time. He frowned deeply and said coldly, "I'll handle this."
Hearing Yang Jinkuan's response, Xia Minghui breathed a sigh of relief.
After Xia Minghui left, Yang Jinkuan's expression suddenly darkened. He stood up abruptly from the sofa, snapped his fingers at the person beside him, and whispered a few instructions.
Yang Jinkuan knew that Xia Minghui wanted to use him to get that item from Xia Yan. But now that he was involved, things wouldn't be so simple. He squinted, staring straight ahead, a hint of cold malice flashing in his eyes. His rough hand rubbed the spot where his finger had been severed, and he let out a cold laugh.
Night fell quietly. The city's lights began to glow, the dusk gradually descending. The dazzling neon lights illuminated the night sky, the crescent moon's reflection shimmering on the river surface of Jiangcheng. The ripples caused the moon's shadow to sway. The yellowing leaves clung stubbornly to the branches, trembling on the verge of falling. The light, refreshing breeze, accompanied by the fading sunset, gradually carried a hint of chill.
After work, Xia Yan walked alone through the bustling streets, distracted. She occasionally slowed her pace, weaving through the crowd. Just as she was about to bump into someone, her phone suddenly rang. She slowly lifted the phone in her hand—it was a call from Xia Minghui. She hesitated. Ever since she learned that Lu Zhengting was investigating the incident from over a decade ago and had linked the clues to her father and Xia Minghui, her trust in Xia Minghui had plummeted. Coupled with his obsession with her father's belongings, Xia Yan had every reason to believe that even if he wasn't a key player in that incident, he had at least played a role as an accomplice.
The screen went dark, then lit up again. Xia Yan's mind raced, lost in thought, before she directly answered the call.
Xia Minghui's reason for calling was simple: next month was his birthday, and he hoped Xia Yan would come home to celebrate with him. That was all. After hearing this, Xia Yan hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
Hanging up, Xia Yan frowned, a vague sense of unease rising in her heart.
Seeing an empty cab approaching, Xia Yan didn't hesitate to hail it. Sitting inside, she rolled down the window halfway, propped her elbow on the window frame, and rested her cheek on her hand. The colorful neon lights appeared one by one in her view, then faded away. In her memory, her impression of Xia Minghui wasn't bad. The ones who had made things difficult for her and her mother in the Xia family were Xia Laotai and Xia Siyue. He had merely turned a blind eye. In terms of daily life, she and Xia Siyue had been treated relatively equally.
Xia Yan returned to her apartment. Bending down to take off her shoes, she caught a glimpse of a shadow moving through the living room. She froze, carefully placed her keys on the shoe cabinet, and quickly scanned the area, searching for a weapon. In the end, she lamented that the only thing that could serve as a weapon seemed to be her high heels? ...
She tiptoed into the living room, holding her breath, afraid to make a sound. Suddenly, there was some noise from the balcony. She stiffened, quickened her pace, and rushed over. Seeing the yellow lump on the floor, she was caught between laughter and tears, her raised high heel frozen in midair.
"Meow..."
The little yellow cat, curled up in a ball, stared at Xia Yan with round, unblinking eyes. It suddenly stood up, padded over on all fours, licked her foot, and meowed again.